A Celebration Of Treats For Saint Joseph's Day

After St. Patrick's Day comes St Joseph's Day. This is also Father's Day in Italy and it's celebrated with gifts and pastries. Here in the States, Italian Americans still celebrate with special cakes and cream puffs usually for men named Joseph or even for carpenters (St Joseph was also the patron saint of this profession). Mostly it is the Southern Italians who observe the feast.

St Joseph's Day pastries are usually cream filled zeppoli. Anyone who has ever attended an Italian feast should be familiar with them. These are pillows of dough fried in deep fat and then heavily dusted with confectioner's sugar. ForSt. Joseph's Day any kind of pudding or sweet cream is injected into them and served. You can also make cream puffs and fill them with cannoli cream. This is a simple mixture of ricotta and confectioner's sugar along with milk, chocolate chips, sugar and cornstarch. Of course you can make a filling from lemon pudding or a vanilla one flavored with rum as well. These are also popular for St. Joseph's Day and are served on both here and in Italy.

Celebrate this great saint's day with zeppolis or cream puffs. these sweet treats not only honor the man who took care of Jesus but also honor his loyalty and dedication.